Hurricane Erin regains Cat 4 strength
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Hurricane Erin restrengthened back into a Category 4 storm Sunday night as it churned over the Atlantic Ocean north of the Caribbean.Erin, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2025, exploded to Category 5 on Saturday before weakening to a Category 3 storm early Sunday morning and regaining strength later in the day.
While Erin is expected to take a northward turn in the Atlantic, a new system off the coast of Africa has the National Hurricane Center's attention.
Hurricane Erin could be near the southeast portion of Florida by Monday, Aug. 18 at 8 p.m. ET. This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time.
Erin is the first hurricane to develop over the Atlantic this year, and meteorologists are closely tracking its path and forecast.
The storm is not currently forecast to hit land, but its strong winds are impacting nearby islands, prompting warnings of possible flooding and landslides.
The first hurricane of 2025 in the Atlantic continued to track north of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Sunday morning, hitting those islands with heavy rain and gusty winds. Erin is expected to move away from the islands later today and begin to curve more to the north.
Erin, the first Atlantic hurricane of 2025, reached Category 5 status before weakening, with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph.
U.S. shores are unlikely to see a direct hit, but a strong offshore hurricane can produce massive and dangerous waves well away from its center.
Erin is the fifth named storm to develop during the Atlantic hurricane season, which started just over two months ago. Last week, Tropical Storm Dexter formed in the western Atlantic but didn't pose a threat to land. In early July, Tropical Storm Chantal made landfall on the Carolina coast, bringing deadly flooding to the region.
Erin is expected to become a hurricane Friday, Aug. 15 and a major hurricane by Sunday morning. What Florida can expect from the storm.
Erin’s sustained winds increased to 70 mph, just 4 mph shy of hurricane strength. The hurricane center said Erin should continue to strengthen through the weekend, when it should be moving near or north of the Leeward Islands, according to the official forecast path.
Hurricane Erin is forecast to continue growing in size, with hurricane-force winds extending up to 50 miles from its center.